FoundHER Embracing Authentic Skincare & Glowing Skin

“Glow Recipe was created to make clinically effective skincare that is both approachable and joyful - it was our mission to make skincare no longer a chore in your beauty routine but a form of self care you looked forward to doing.” - Sarah Lee and Christine Chang

Glow Recipe creates clean, cruelty-free, fruit-forward, clinically-effective skincare for glowing skin. Co-founded by beauty industry veterans Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, Glow Recipepairs antioxidant-rich fruits with gentle yet powerful actives to create unique and innovative products that have achieved cult status amongst beauty consumers.

Sarah Lee - A seasoned expert on the global beauty consumer, Sarah Lee boasts a deep and unique cross-functional resume that spans product development, business strategy, and global marketing. Sarah began her career at L’Oréal, leading product development and retail partnerships with a global lens. Sarah blends her deep understanding of product formulation science with years of successfully bringing brands to market to drive strategy and execution of Glow Recipe’s vision. Sarah resides in Miami with her husband.

Christine Chang - Combining her passion for skincare with an extensive background in marketing, brand & business development, sales and product development, Christine Chang maintains a wealth of knowledge when it comes to international beauty. Christine’s foray into beauty started at L’Oreal where she spearheaded global business development, retail, marketing and digital strategy. Christine's expertise in skincare formulations paired with her strategic experience in launching and growing brands is invaluable to Glow Recipe's mission. Christine resides in New York City with her husband and daughter. 

-

1. You were both working in the beauty industry prior to your creation of Glow Recipe. How did your work in the industry prepare you for the jump to entrepreneurship? What need did you see that was not being met? 

Our experience at L’Oreal gave us the tools and hands on experience that were put to use immediately from day one. At L’Oreal, we held various positions across product development, trade retail marketing, consumer marketing, PR, etc. 

We started Glow Recipe Skincare in 2017— the skincare market at the time consisted of  efficacious clinical brands that were often too serious and unapproachable for the everyday consumer or people just starting their skincare journey. On the other side of the spectrum were fun and whimsical skincare brands that didn’t yet have the clinical efficacy or education required to support their formulations. Glow Recipe was created to make clinically effective skincare that is both approachable and joyful - it was our mission to make skincare no longer a chore in your beauty routine but a form of self care you looked forward to doing. – Christine Chang 

2. You make a powerful team. What’s your advice for forming female friendships in the industry? 

Our longstanding friendship was a foundational element in creating Glow Recipe and we’ve always tried to bring that sense of collaboration and discussion to everything we do. Having a network of female founder friends has also been transformational and a source of wonderful advice and support. We know there’s a seat at the table for everyone and feel that the beauty industry community is an inclusive environment. We truly believe friendships can be formed simply from asking a peer out to coffee and making the first gesture! – Sarah Lee 

3. Beauty is a very competitive industry. What has allowed you to be successful and differentiate from other products? 

We identified our brand mission and values and how we want to show up for our community early on. We believe that skincare is personal to everyone, and it’s our mission that all skin types, tones and stages feel seen and included in all of our touchpoints from model imagery to social media to language and beyond. – Sarah Lee 

4. We’ve seen you all over social media. Can you tell us how Glow Recipe has leveraged media platforms to grow your business?

Our social platforms are our number one channels to reach our community. Content is our most important tool to truly educate our community on the brand or product - whether it’s our TikTok to spark joy, our instagram to educate viewers on an ingredient, or through a creator to demonstrate how our product performs in the real world. – Christine Chang 

5. Glow Recipe has made a promise to set and maintain realistic beauty standards across its messaging. Why has this kind of messaging been so important to your brand? 

At Glow Recipe, we want our community to love the skin they’re in, and that means setting realistic expectations around beauty. That’s why we’ll continue our pledge to never use the words poreless, perfect, ageless, flawless, anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, and “perfect skin”— because those aren’t realistic skin goals. The reality is that skin that looks *exactly* like a pane of glass or porcelain wouldn’t be skin; your pores are essential (as are your breakouts and hyperpigmentation) for helping your skin remain healthy and balanced, and aging is a beautiful representation of growth. – Sarah Lee 

6. Glow Recipe has had a mission for positive change beyond the beauty industry since its beginning. How has Glow for Good positively impacted both your business and personal lives? 

With the support of our Glow Recipe community, we are able to use our platform to support and make an impact on communities and organizations we are passionate about. Since 2021, we have committed to provide monetary and product-based donations to organizations with missions that are especially close to our hearts: ones that support future generations, BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+, and support environmental initiatives. Our community shares in our passion for giving back to these communities and causes, and that means the world to us. – Christine Chang 

7. Glow Recipe is focused on reducing environmental impacts and carbon footprint through ingredient choice and packaging, how do you see the beauty industry moving towards a more eco-friendly culture in the future? Are there any further commitments the brand is planning on taking to continue to minimize environmental impacts? 

Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our brand DNA – we’ve always used glass packaging whenever possible and made sure that our glass jars are made with a minimum of 20% post-consumer recycled materials. We launched our first refillable product with our Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream in December 2021. We create products with intentional ingredients that feature sustainable methods of production such as cold pressing when possible. We work closely with our suppliers to source ingredients with a lower environmental impact when viable. Some of our fruit extracts, such as the watermelon extract in Watermelon Glow Pore Tight Toner, are collected from all parts of the fruit, including the seed and rind and leftover fruit is upcycled into fertilizer. In addition to achieving carbon neutrality in April 2022, we're constantly working to reduce our environmental footprint and are always challenging ourselves to become more eco-conscious in our ingredient sourcing, packaging, shipping, and everything else along the way. We are exploring refillable packaging with our moisturizers to offer our community a sustainable way to keep using daily products they love while repurchasing the formula at a lower price point. – Christine Chang 

8. Glow Recipe’s consumers and followers are from all kinds of backgrounds and ages, how do you think your brand was able to integrate this universality and make products used by pre-teenagers to older adults? 

We liken this back to our mission of inclusivity and for us, showing real skin on real people, unretouched, are table stakes. We have a diehard loyal community of skincare junkies as each and everyone can see themselves in the Glow Recipe world. – Sarah Lee 

QUICK TAKES: 

1. What’s your favorite fruit?

Watermelon, of course! 

2. You’re on a deserted island: what three skincare products are you bringing?

Sarah: Watermelon Niacinamide Dew Drops, Avocado Cleanser, Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream 

3. Favorite spot on Columbia’s campus?

Christine: I love the EALAC library! I spent many an hour there during my masters program poring over old texts, under the sunlight streaming through the high windows.